The Circle of Life.....

Almost a year ago, I gave birth to the most beautiful and special baby girl.  Trying to come up with names was always a struggle, but one thing I knew for sure was if I had a girl, her name had to fit with the name Rose.  My grandma Rose was the strongest person I have and will ever know.  If you ever asked me who I admired the most, I would say,"My grandma" without hesitation.  When I had Hannah, I knew that she would carry her name well.  Not only did I make Hannah my grandma's name sake but they shared the same birthday.  It couldn't have worked more perfectly.

  Today we said goodbye to my Grandma Rose, but as I said goodbye I knew that she would watch over my daughter everyday.  She will continue to give Hannah and the rest of us the strength and courage to live our lives to the fullest.  It is never easy saying goodbye, but for some reason today even as a cried, I knew deep down that she is and will always be with us.

As I drove to the hospital this morning to get Hannah's labs drawn, I wondered what I would do if we did not get the results we wanted to receive.   I was thinking about how our day began and if it was going to set the mood for the rest of day......

 So I am happy to report that the good news started with Hannah getting weighed.  She is now 14lbs 11ounces!  She has gained 8 ounces in two weeks.  We were hoping to hit the 15lb mark, but we will definitely take it.  As the day continued on, Hannah proved that she was going to be stronger than ever.  First Steps came to write up the therapy plan, and while they were here she rolled across the room and scooted herself backwards to where she wanted to be.  That was the most active I have ever seen her!! She was such a show off and I loved every minute of it :)   The next awesome news came from the transplant coordinator.  She called after getting the results of Hannah's labs and said they were looking great!  The one level that they were concerned about had dropped, and all her other labs were within normal range:)  The conversation got better if you can believe it!  She proceeded to say that we can stop the overnight continuous feeds and see what she does on her own.  If when we got to clinic on Friday and Hannah at least maintains her weight and doesn't lose, we can say "BYE,BYE" to her NG tube:)

 As I close my day out, I think about how life is so unpredictable.  I never knew you could experience so many emotions in one day.   I went from being devastated mourning the loss of my grandma, to smiling and being so happy that Hannah is such a fighter and doing so well.  I know my grandma may not physically be here anymore, but she has already shown me that she is watching over us and passing her strength on to my Sweet Hannah Rose.....